


Because you're here

by Kris18



Category: Naruto
Genre: Blank Period, Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, Missing Moments, SSBlankPeriod2021, SasuSaku - Freeform, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-12 13:55:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29011632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kris18/pseuds/Kris18
Summary: Sasuke has wondered if forcing Sakura to travel with him was a mistake Sakura regretted.Sakura has wondered if she unintentionally forced Sasuke into making a choice he actually didn't want to make.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke
Comments: 4
Kudos: 49





	Because you're here

**Author's Note:**

> [For the SasuSaku Blank Period Week 2021 on Twitter. Day 3, prompts: Confession / "I'll choose you everyday"]

Sasuke has wondered if forcing Sakura to travel with him was a mistake Sakura regretted.

Sakura, the promising medical ninja of Konoha, Tsunade's best disciple, the entrepreneurial mind with monstrous strength and a heart of gold who had opened the first center for children’s mental health.

Sasuke, one of the two strongest ninja alive and descendant of a honorable family, yet a nukenin with a dubious reputation, who had snatched her from that brilliant career to take her around the world to unknown destinations.

The only time they had discussed the matter was just before they left, one year ago, when Sasuke had opposed the idea, but Sakura had insisted. Sometimes the doubt still buzzed in his head, especially when he saw her dealing with children in the villages they visited. He wondered if he was driving her away from her vocation, if he was depriving her of what made her truly happy.

They were facing an area covered in cherry blossoms, and the gentle background music notes coming from the festival of the Village of Dance rendered the vision ethereal. Sasuke looked at Sakura, a few steps ahead of him and completely mesmerized by the pink and white trees: her colors blended into the background and he could only admire the scene. After a few seconds, Sakura turned to him, her eyes sparkling with pure joy.

\- Don't you feel like dancing to this music, under these trees?

\- Dancing…? – Sasuke stammered, caught off guard: what answer was Sakura expecting from him on such a topic? He really wasn’t the type to dance under the trees. But she laughed, a crystalline and warm laugh like the rays of spring passing through the cherry blossoms around them. Of course, she wasn't expecting any other answer than that.

The girl came up to him and took his hand.

\- Thank you, Sasuke-kun.

\- For what?

\- For taking me with you and showing me all these wonderful places.

\- Are you… happy?

\- Of course I'm happy.

\- Don't you want to go back to Konoha?

\- I sometimes miss Mom and Dad, but I'm happy here.

Sakura took Sasuke's gloved hand with both of hers and held it up, staring into his eyes.

\- Because you are here, Sasuke-kun.

In those twelve months of travel Sakura had quickly become the most precious thing he had.

Her talent in putting everyone at ease and the joy overflowing from every pore even for little things were specular to the fear and awe he instilled when joining a room and to the dry realism that characterized him.

They were different and complemented each other.

That was why in those months of travel it had been a natural evolution to get closer and closer, intrigued by those differences and how they matched without clashing. Finally away from the gossip of a city that wanted them rigidly pigeonholed according to their history, and that would try to keep them separate more out of conformist preconception than to truly protect their best interests, they had been free to explore their respective wounds: without good or bad external influences, they had finally managed to be completely themselves.

It was a feeling Sasuke hadn't experienced for a long time.

He ran his eyes to the cherry blossoms that surrounded them, which shared the name and personality of the girl in front of him. He looked back at those green eyes glistened with emotion and the words gushed before he could put a stop to them, to his own surprise.

\- Sakura, will you marry me?

As it had been natural for them to grow closer on that journey, so that sentence sounded natural to him.

The girl's face seemed to lose color, completely stunned by the question.

\- I'll take you to all the places I've already seen, and all the others you want to see.

\- As... a family?

Sasuke saw tears gathering in Sakura's eyes; it was a sight he grew familiar with, and he couldn't help but smile.

\- Yes. If you want it.

Sakura let go of Sasuke's hand and covered her face, starting to cry. Ignoring the curious glances of the other festival participants who were slowly moving towards that expanse of cherry blossoms, Sasuke silently hugged her.

Only when the girl stopped sobbing Sasuke spoke again.

\- May I have an answer now?

Sasuke asked in a witty tone that was unusual to him and felt a light fist on his chest, an equally playful response to his question. Sakura looked up, her eyes red from crying and a smile promising a brand new world.

\- Yes, Sasuke-kun. Yes, I want to marry you.

*****

Sakura has wondered if she unintentionally forced Sasuke into making a choice he actually didn't want to make.

She knew Sasuke wasn’t the type to be so easily influenced in his choices; in fact, the first time she had exposed her doubts to him shortly after the wedding he puffed in displease so hard that Sakura thought he would grow out some wheels and turn into one of those new steam locomotives that were beginning to run in Konoha.

Sasuke wasn't good with words and that snort was his only response. By now Sakura knew him well enough to understand that it translated as "you're worrying over a nonexistent problem".

She couldn't even blame him for his lack of verbal communication: Sasuke would probably have grown into a very different adult if he hadn't to go through all that trauma. They once managed to talk about this. She asked him to tell her about his childhood with his family, about what kind of child he was.

\- Foolish, noisy – he had commented laconically, revamping the fire in front of him. Sakura smiled.

\- I don't want to know what _your adult self_ thinks. How would Itachi describe you?

Sasuke's eyebrow snapped in surprise at that question. It was an interesting way of putting it. He mused for a moment, going back over the last moments spent with his brother, what he had shown him through the Sharingan, what he felt when he was a child, trying not to filter it with his self-hatred.

He surely was chatty, always calling and looking for Itachi. He wanted to train with his brother not simply to become stronger, but more for the innocent joy of spending some time with him.

He also found a vague memory of when he was three or four: being hugged by his mother, and appreciating that warmth.

He remembered the tap on the forehead that his brother used to give him, how Sasuke always approached him playfully and aware of the gesture that awaited him, as if it was their little secret code.

He remembered how he once had a pure, genuine heart, unaffected by hatred or tears, which felt only love and joy.

\- I don't know how he would describe me.

\- Oh, come on.

Sasuke looked at her sideways: the fire was painting a red shade on her eyes and hair.

\- Are you being shy with _your wife_?

The rush of not-completely-disguised glee that Sasuke sensed in the last two words made him smile internally: he was always amazed at how that fact – their marriage – made her so evidently happy, even after months.

\- Alright then. I guess he would call me... cheerful.

\- Always smiling?

\- Maybe.

\- Chatty?

\- Mh.

\- Affectionate?

Sasuke turned his eyes back at the fire, refusing to confirm or deny. He could pass the other definitions, but he didn’t want to completely let his stoic façade collapse.

\- Don't worry – Sakura commented approaching him and putting her arm around his waist. - This is something I already knew.

Sasuke persisted in his silence, feeling the heat of the fire warming his cheeks up – because it was surely the fire's fault that his body temperature was rising, not because he was embarrassed to seemingly be an open book for the woman beside him.

It was also true that he had chosen her for the rest of his days for that exact reason.

\- And here I thought you fell in love with the unfriendly guy from the academy.

\- I've always been in love with the guy hidden under that image, Sasuke-kun. You know it.

Sasuke brought her closer and placed his lips on her cherry blossoms hair.

\- I know. I’ve always known.

*****

Sakura has also wondered if she hadn't unintentionally trapped Sasuke in a life that he actually didn't want.

Sasuke offered her to become a family, of course, but also to travel, see places, help people around the world. And that was what they had done until they could.

But what if Sasuke actually wanted to continue wandering instead of settling down in Konoha again?

\- Sasuke-kun?

Sasuke was standing near the window of the bedroom and turned to look at his wife, who was sitting on the bed. She put down the book she was reading.

\- Yes?

\- If you could go back in time, would you do it all again?

He frowned slightly. It was a too vague question, considering his past.

\- What do you mean?

\- If you could choose again whether to travel – alone or as a couple, or... to get married or not. What would you do?

Sakura was not sure where that sudden confession of weakness was coming from. Perhaps it was the fear that results from experiencing too much happiness all at once, from seeing her dreams come true.

Sasuke walked over to the bed and carefully sat down next to her; he stared into her eyes with a serious look before softening. It was an almost imperceptible change, but Sakura had learnt how to see it.

\- Sakura. I wouldn't change anything.

\- Wouldn't you choose differently?

\- I’d choose you everyday.

He placed a light kiss on her lips before looking back at the sleepy bundle he was holding in his right arm.

\- I’d choose you two, always.

How could he ever choose any road where the two people he held more precious and valuable than his own life did not exist?

Sakura saw Sasuke's smile as he softly rocked Sarada, asleep in his hug, and Sakura felt her heart burst in her chest.

*****

Both Sasuke and Sakura have wondered several times if they had involuntarily pushed the other into forced choices.

But then Sarada arrived: with her deep black eyes and joie de vivre, she was the living proof that their destiny had always been to be the complementary half of each other, and it was all they needed to make any doubts they might have had in the past months fly out the window.

They will always choose each other.

**Author's Note:**

> So. I have never taken part to a week, prompt challenge or similar in my whole life; but I really liked the prompts, so I guess there’s always a first time...!  
> This was written for SasuSaku Blank Period 2021 #SSBlankPeriod2021; go check the tag on Twitter! 
> 
> This prompt was screaming “Uchiha Family fluff” and here we go with the Uchiha Family Fluffiest fluff I can produce, haha.  
> Next prompt might not be this fluffy so yeah, enjoy until it lasts... :D  
> PS: Beta readers wanted!


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